Great Expectations Cave Nature Preserve

Great Expectations contains almost 8 miles of surveyed passage with a vertical extent of over 1,400 feet. It is the third deepest limestone cave in the United States, the second deepest cave in Wyoming, and the second longest cave in Wyoming. Great Expectations Cave contains Wyoming's largest room, The Great Hall, which is over 2,000 feet long and up to 100 feet high and wide. Great X is located at 8500 feet elevation on a pristine creek in the Big Horn Mountains, east of Greybull, Wyoming.

The creek sinks into the cave at the entrance and reappears approximately six miles down the canyon, near the Lower entrance to the cave, the Great Exit. The Great Exit, near the "Grim Crawl of Death," is on federal land managed by the US Bureau of Land Management. This high altitude karst area contains several other significant caves including Tres Charros Cave, Bad Medicine Cave, and P-Bar Cave.

The NSS acquired the land containing the main (upper) entrance to Great Expectations Cave and Johnny Creek Cave in January, 2003. The property has an eastern boundary with the Bighorn National Forest and a northern boundary with lands managed by the US Bureau of Land Management. The western and southern boundaries border private land. We have acquired the property from the landowner to the south. The cave is accessible for about six months a year by four-wheel drive vehicles or those with high clearance.

The Society intends that NSS members shall be ensured reasonable access and use of the cave and the surface property for recreation, exploration, science, and surveying. The Great Expectations Preserve Management Committee is responsible for managing the Preserve. The Management Committee is chaired by Bob Montgomery.